-
Artworks
Vikrant Bhise
Revolution unborn: Raja Dhale (Dalit Panther), 2025Oil on canvas
Diptych14 x 24 in overall
35.6 x 61 cm overall
14 x 12 in eachVikrant Bhise’s new body of work features portraits of Dalit Panther and Black Panther founders, along with everyday objects and libraries that anchored their movements. Namdeo Dhasal, Raja Dhale, and...Vikrant Bhise’s new body of work features portraits of Dalit Panther and Black Panther founders, along with everyday objects and libraries that anchored their movements. Namdeo Dhasal, Raja Dhale, and J.V. Pawar—founders of the Dalit Panthers—are portrayed along their writings: Dhasal’s first poetry collection Golpitha, addressing caste oppression in Mumbai while also evoking the city’s labouring classes and red-light districts; Dhale’s published works and magazine Dhammalipi; and Pawar’s association with Mahaparinirvan Diwas on December 6 (which commemorates the death anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar), when he sold books at Dadar Chowpatty beach to spread Ambedkarite thought. The Dalit Panthers, a 1970s collective of poets, writers, and activists within the Ambedkarite movement, were inspired by the Black Panther Party in the U.S., founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. Angela Davis, a key Black Panther member, also features in Vikrant Bhise’s Panther series. Alongside these iconic figures who played a prominent role in fighting for democratic ideals and social justice through these movements, Bhise also portrays ordinary people, symbolising marginalisation across gender and religion. The body of work also responds to global conflicts, from everyday struggles to the genocide in Gaza, representing landscapes and lives scarred by violence.1of 6